Feb 11, 2012

International Ayurveda Foundation urges govt to include Ayush streams in NCHRH

Pharmabiz, February 10, 2012, 08:00 Hrs [IST]

The International Ayurveda Foundation
(IAF) has asked the government to reconsider the National Commission for
Human Resources in Health (NCHRH) Bill to include the Ayush streams
into the bill. The bill, at present, is waiting for passage in the Rajya
Sabha.

In a recent representation to Rajya Sabha, the IAF
pointed out that the government has been very careless to ignore a huge
market like Ayush as 38 per cent of the population in the country
depends upon traditional systems of medicine. The association urged the
government that the present bill should be put on hold so that the
government can re-consider the same keeping in mind the pluralistic
health care system in the country.

The objective of the NCHRH is
to consolidate the law in certain disciplines of health sector and
promote human resources in health sector and provide for mechanism for
the determination, maintenance, coordination and regulation of standards
of health education throughout the country to ensure adequate
availability of human resources in all States.

According to
Praful Patel, general secretary, IAF, “Like the modern medicines, Ayush
is equally an important branch that needs to be included into the
mainstream system of medicine. For the benefit of the industry, at least
now steps should be taken to ensure mainstreaming of Ayush in the main
health care policy so that Ayush systems are not disengaged from the
health care related legislation and its standardisation.”

He
further stressed that like the modern medicines even Ayush streams are
equally important and should be considered simultaneously, not
separately. Through the representation, he suggested that the the Bill
should be re-drafted taking into consideration the recommendations sent
by the department of Ayush as well.

On NCHRH Bill, Dr S S
Savrikar, former vice chancellor of Gujarat Ayurved University whose
paper on the bill has been attached with the representation, stated that
the vision document of Ayush for 11th five-year plan had emphasised the
need for mainstreaming Ayush by designing strategic interventions for
wider utilisation of Ayush both domestically and globally making
mainstreaming of Ayush major objective of Ayush health policy. He
pointed out that if Ayush which is an important discipline of healthcare
is not included in NCHRH, it will never be brought in mainstream health
service sector.

“Ayush drug will not be included in the
definition of drugs, if Ayush remains outside the purview of NCHRH. Thus
keeping Ayush outside the NCHRH will give a wrong message to the world
community that India is not recognising Ayush as a reliable health care
system. Creating a scenario where the world will never take note of
Ayush systems putting all attempts to market Ayush drugs as drug in the
world market in vain,” Dr Savrikar cautioned.